Have you heard about the Freedom Riders? In spite of threats, imprisonment, and beatings, groups of courageous Americans journeyed through the South on buses in effort to segregate the South in 1961. I must say that I was totally unaware of this important part of our American history.

Taking a deeper look into the people and the times, award winning film maker Stanley Nelson’s powerful documentary airs on American Experience May 16th on PBS. Students have also been invited to “Get on the Bus” to retrace the journeys and to blog about the experience.

In a special event held at Houston PBS studios, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Nelson and hearing from a panel of original Houston Freedom Riders. The Houston Defender newspaper was also on hand covering the event. Click here and you will see a familiar face – http://www.defendernetwork.com/freedom-riders/.

Original Freedom Riders

Mr. Stanley Nelson and Angie

“We were past fear. If we were going to die, we were gonna die, but we can’t stop.” ~ Rider Joan Trumpauer-Mulholland.